Saki
by Hazelnut
Summary: In a stormy night they sealed their fates with a pistol... This is a story about surprising encounters, delicious secrets, colourful festivals, a quaint acting company, and candied apples. Join the adventure and loose yourself in the falling cherry blossom petals that sweep out from the screen, and let the soft music sweeten your ears! [RyoSaku] AU
1. Chapter One

The instant he saw the first droplet splatter on the leather pouch in his hand, he cursed.

Rain began falling in thick icy sheets from the roaring clouds hovering above Roveu, wrapping the small village in a cocoon of gathering fog. The wind wept and howled and curled their malicious fingers around abandoned wheelbarrows and empty crates to fling them high into the air and sent them crashing down into an explosion of splinters and dust.

Ryoma stuffed the pouch deep inside his breach pockets as he wrapped his cloak tighter around his body and broke into a brisk run. He could hear the deep rumble of thunder in the distance as he navigated his way through the darkening streets of the village. Sensing a fluttering motion behind his head, he quickly ducked sideways to dodge a piece of bed sheet that had somehow gone astray from the washing line it was attached to, and didn't spare a second glance at it as the pale fabric sank into a dirty puddle and the oozing mud immediately gobbled up the thin material.

As he rounded the corner of the blacksmith shop, he suddenly froze at the sight of a commotion in the distance, just on the side of the road leading into the village. There were three men, burly in build with voices as raucous as a saw grinding on his eardrums. A scar that ran diagonally from the forehead to just below the nose distorted the features of the largest man, and the muscles in his right arm bulged as he tightened his grip on a frightening looking axe, which he had poised over a bundle on the ground with a look of dark menace on his grotesque face.

A bundle with two feet sticking out.

His first instinct was to step back into the shadows of the streets and seek an alternative route to the village inn. He has long since learned from experience not to draw attention to himself in situations like these – especially when the odds of escaping unharmed seemed particularly dire. In this day and age, robbing for riches and killing a few who stood in the way sadly was not uncommon. As much as he felt sorry for the victim lying limply on the ground – probably some poor fellow who had been foolish enough to let slip a flash of gold coins in his moneybag or seemed too comfortable in his fine fur-trimmed coat – he did not want to try his luck confronting four grown men with nothing but his bare fists and the cloak around his shoulders.

Especially when the man already seemed well and truly dead.

Ryoma slowly inched back as he watched two of the men bend down and begin groping around the bundle, and the other two men cackled with delighted laughter as something that looked like a small pouch was pulled free from the neck of the victim. The loud jingle of coins rang deliciously clear even through the symphony of rain. Ryoma turned and was about to mutter a quick prayer for the unfortunate soul before retracing his steps when he was stopped cold by a blood-curdling scream directly behind him.

An undoubtedly _female_ scream.

He whipped around and narrowed his eyes when he saw one of the men slip his hand underneath the fabric of the bundle – which had started struggling and kicking violently against their iron grips.

The next thing he knew, he was racing towards the circle of bandits. He bit his lip as one of the men looked up just as he shot out a kick. The contact between his boot and the man's face made a sickening crunch as the man was thrown backwards into the mud. Ryoma spun around as the other men's faces registered surprise and anger, and he felt a hand seize the hood of his cloak soon followed by a crushing blow to the side of his ribs. He could feel the air knocked out of his lungs with a great "whoosh" as he fell, the bitterness of mud filling his mouth as he landed face-down in a mound of mud. Gasping, he rolled to the side and ripped off his cloak, then flung it across the enraged faces of the two men who lunged towards him, smothering their twisted mouths which were furiously spitting out words more dirty than the muck that covered Ryoma's breaches. As the men struggled to untangle themselves from the wet clingy fabric, Ryoma picked up a loose branch that had been trampled into the thick mud in the road and whacked it into the temple of one of the men with all the strength he could master. The branch splintered in half as the men let out a gurgle of pain and fell into the cloudy puddles without another sound.

Panting for breath, Ryoma swayed and almost staggered into the sharp axe as the scarred man swung it towards him with an enraged roar. Ryoma twisted out of the way at the last minute, feeling the cold blade slice through the skin of his upper arm before he felt himself hit the cold mushy ground once again. The dark eyes of his offender smoldered with malice as Ryoma forced himself to look up into his distorted face. He felt a stab of dread, but quickly shook his head to clear it both from the trickle of fear and the fog of pain. Bracing himself for the next blow, Ryoma gritted his teeth and glared as the man flashed him a hard toothless grin. Yet just as the man was bringing his axe down - and a split second before Ryoma was to spring up and tackle him - the man let out a confused grunt and the axe went askew, landing and sinking into the soft earth inches from Ryoma's thigh.

Confused, Ryoma lifted up his hand to wipe the water streaming into his eyes, thinking perhaps it was a play on his vision from the mixture of rain and sweat. Yet when he opened his eyes again, the burly bandit was still lying on the ground, groaning, as a girl stood over him with a pistol clutched in her trembling hands.

* * *

She was surreal.

Most of her long glossy hair had tumbled loose and was whipping wildly around her face in the wind. Her skin was so pale that it almost glowed in the stormy moonless night, making her black eyes huge and their depth even more difficult to gauge. What remained of her creamy yellow gown hung in tatters on her tiny frame, the once-soft fabric caked in thick slabs of mud. There was not a trace of blood in her lips as she bit them to stop her teeth chattering from the cold – or fear – and the small pistol gleamed eerily in the dim light as it shook with the unsteadiness of her arms.

The bandit had all but quieted at the sight of the pistol. There was a scowl of rage on his disfigured face, yet a glimmer of pain was also evident in his eyes as he lay as still as a rock in the pool of mud. His breath came in quick puffs as the girl took a step closer and pressed the pistol to his forehead.

Ryoma saw the pool of black blood pooling behind the man's calf and realised that he hadn't even heard the shot that the girl had fired. The shot had missed its mark by quite a distance, but it was more than enough to cripple the man for life. He struggled up just as the girl opened her mouth.

"Go, I don't want to kill you," She said in a soft trembling voice.

The man sneered. "Go ahead if you think you can, _girlie_."

Her hands tightened on the pistol, and there was a long pause. Then she swallowed and slowly lowered the pistol.

"I will let you off this time, but if you rob anyone again I will find you and I _will _kill you, I swear on my family's name - do you understand?"

Ryoma gaped. He would have laughed if the situation was not half so dire. Who did she think she was? His mother? But he had to commend her courage for saying so.

The man growled from the depth of his throat, which sounded almost wild. The girl took a step back, startled. And the man took this opportunity to lunge forward, reaching for the weapon in her hand with a crazed look in his eyes.

Ryoma leaped forward at the precise same instant that he saw the sparks shoot out of the pistol, and ignored the scream of pain that blossomed on his shoulder. He crashed down on top of the man and wrestled him back to the ground, pinning him as best as he could.

"Grab my cloak! Quick!" Ryoma looked up at the girl, who was staring wide-eyed at the two men tangled and grunting with pain before her. She hesitated for only a moment before hurrying to fetch the soaked material.

"Tie it around his arms – tight! Yes, that's it-" Ryoma could not believe how much energy it was taking him to immobilize this man. When the girl finally secured the final knot, he almost collapsed on the ground next to the cursing and spitting man. But this was not the place for rest. Not yet anyway, as much as he longed for a warm bath and a soft bed at that moment.

He stood up and glanced at the girl, who was shaking even more violently now. He almost felt sorry for her – obviously she was a girl from a well-off family somewhere. He had no idea how she ended up in this rural village in the middle of nowhere, but the way she had fired that pistol and talked to that man… he had a feeling she was going to be trouble.

"Oh My God – did I- did the bullet-" The girl stammered terribly, staring in horror at the blood soaking through Ryoma's left shoulder – whether it was from the shock or cold or fear – Ryoma did not know.

"It only grazed the skin, no big deal," He tried to sound aloof, but to his dismay achieved the opposite effect as he said it through gritted teeth while he was tying a piece of fabric around the wound to slow the bleeding.

"Do you have somewhere to go?" He asked her when he had cleaned himself up as best as he could, and gave the bandit leader another hard kick when his language became increasingly foul.

"I…no, I don't think so," She replied.

He sighed. Somehow he was expecting that answer.

"Then I guess you should come with me."


	2. Chapter Two

When Ryoma reached The Fiddler's Green, the village inn, he was almost afraid to go in. The public house had a cheerful aspect with its bright green door and orange lamplight glowing in the windows. But he feared the questions that were surely to come.

And he was only too right.

"Hey Ochibi is back! What took you so long! Wait- holy- what happened to _you_?"

Ryoma bit back a groan as a tall, lanky man rushed up to him. His fiery red hair sprang up disobediently in random spots like sticks in a haystack, and his eyes were bright and cheerful before he laid eyes on Ryoma's disheveled appearance, upon which the soft brown pools immediately filled with surprise and questions. He loved Kikumaru as a travel companion, truly. But sometimes he found it hard to match the energy and demanding air of the friendly red-head.

"I, uh, got in a fight on the way back." Ryoma tried to feign calmness, which became difficult when he felt a hand clutch his injured arm and he winced as he looked into the extremely concerned face of Oishi.

"Ryoma, Oh my- this is…this is _terrible_! Here, you better go upstairs to the room and I will have some hot water sent up for a bath, and some food- are you too tired to eat? Should I send up some broth? And you are _bleeding_!" Oishi's voice gradually increased in pitch as he muttered worriedly under his breath. Ryoma sometimes wondered whether he was talking to himself half of the time, but had to admit the fussing could be quite comforting on days that he was starving for that parental attention.

Not today though. Definitely not today.

Ryoma batted away Oishi's hands, which were insistently pushing him towards the back of the dining area, where the stairs leading to the rooms were beckoning to him. There was still so much to do! And the girl-

"I'm _fine_-really-"

"Ryoma! It's about time! Why you little- how come _I_ am never around when there's a good fight, eh?" A great big shadow leapt out from behind a table and Ryoma felt his throat locked playfully behind a powerful muscular forearm.

_Sweet God, can't they see I am injured?_

"Momo! Stop that- Ryoma is hurt!" Oishi flew to the rescue and scolded the burly man, who loosened his hold and smiled guiltily as Ryoma leaned heavily against a chair and gasped for breath.

Yet before Ryoma had recovered enough to speak, another tranquil voice cut through the noise.

"Yes, you better have some very good explanation for that – as well as for this lovely young lady you've just brought back. Echizen."

Ryoma's heart went cold as he turned and met the piercing blue eyes of Fuji. If anyone in their group did not forgive someone who has mistreated a woman, it was Fuji. Ryoma watched as he gently draped a blanket he had conjured out of nowhere onto the girl's thin shoulders, and knew that it was probably a good idea to explain himself. Quickly.

* * *

The room they had been given was small but cozy. The crackling fire in the hearth threw warm honey-coloured lights that danced across the walls, chasing away the bitter cold that gnawed at Ryoma's body as he sank down into one of the beds lining a side of the wall with a sigh. Oishi had helped him dress his bleeding left arm and the graze on his shoulder, but the throb of pain only worsened as the numbness from the cold began to wear off.

He had tried to make the explanation as brief as possible, but Kikumaru and Momo's endless pestering forced him to dig out all the details of the incident – down to the colour of the scarred man's hair and the length of the axe he had been waving around like a child's plaything. To be honest, such a long-winding interrogation was the last thing Ryoma wanted - he was so exhausted he could hardly gather up the energy to chew the mashed potatoes and sausages that had smelled so heavenly five minutes ago, brought up piping hot on a plate straight from the kitchen.

"So you just left them there?" Kikumaru asked, looking incredulous.

"Can I go back and give them another kick in the gut?" Momo bounded up excitedly from the bed, only to sit back down again under Oishi's hard glare.

"What I _meant _was, does the magistrate know about them?" Kikumaru reached out and stole a piece of sausage from Ryoma's plate, earning a grunt of annoyance from his younger companion.

"You think I can go with my arm bleeding all over the place?" He huddled closer to his plate of food and forked another two mouthfuls before he could see another flash of unwelcome hands. "So that's it, end of story."

He slapped his bread down onto his plate with an air of finality, sending up a splash of gravy that glimmered in the wavering light from the fire.

"Wait, there _is_ one other thing," Fuji leaned forward from where he had his back against the wall. "… what is this beautiful young lady's name, Echizen?" Fuji turned his tender gaze on the girl shivering in front of the fire, who was now so focused on forking bits of meat and roast vegetables into her mouth that she hadn't realised there was a smear of gravy on her cheek. Ryoma presumed she had came from a reasonably well-off family from her gown and the way she carried herself while walking, but looking at her now, with her cheeks stuffed full of food, he began to have some doubts.

"Uh," Ryoma stopped, and realised he hadn't even think to ask her that question. After the fight, he had been so preoccupied with how to break the news to his fellow travellers that he had completely ignored her on the whole way back to the inn. He avoided Fuji's cocked eyebrow as he stood up uneasily and picked his way across the crowded room, then slowly crouched down a few feet from the girl as if she was a wild falcon ready to pick his eye out if he stepped too close within range. The girl started and shifted her focus from her plate to his face. He was mildly surprised to find that her eyes were not black as he had thought, but a rich chocolate brown with a speck of gold in the centre – although it could have been a trick of the firelight.

"…Who are you?" He asked stiffly, again ignoring the quiet slap to the forehead from Fuji's direction and a muttered "_Tactful_".

Her fork stilled. Ryoma was almost certain she was weighing up whether to tell them her real name or not. At last, she broke the silence that had begun to congeal in the room.

"My name is… Sakuno." She drew in a deep breath. Ryoma could see her bottom lip tremble slightly as she tried to gather up the courage to reveal herself to a roomful of strangers. "I-I come from Horell – a few towns to the North."

"Sakuno," Ryoma tested the name in his mouth, and it rolled off his tongue like a familiar melody.

Sakuno nodded, blushing slightly.

Ryoma scratched his head uncomfortably with this reaction.

"Right… so now that we've got _that_ out of the way, how did you end up where I found you?"

"The coach I was in was hijacked on the way here by some highwaymen," Sakuno said in a quiet voice that turned even lower into a shaky whisper at the last word. "The driver was killed and the coach taken along with everything in it – I only just managed to get away as they were preoccupied with the guards- who tried to protect me-"

Here her voice broke and hot tears began pooling in her huge eyes. Awkwardly Ryoma fumbled inside his sleeves, only to find a filthy piece of fabric half caked with dried blood, which he quickly decided against offering to the girl and stuffed back into his pocket.

"So if you managed to get away- who were the men Echizen saw?" Kikumaru asked, puzzled.

Sakuno swallowed hard. "T-They were from the same group – they must have realised I had gotten away and came after me."

"But why did you escape along the main road? Shouldn't the forest offer more cover?" Ryoma pointed out with narrowed eyes.

Sakuno bit her lips and shrank back slightly, fear and regret returning to her deep eyes.

Ryoma felt a chill run down his spine as he sensed several not-so-discreet frosty glares penetrate the back of his head from all around the room.

"Don't mind Ryoma – he's experiencing some severe post-traumatic shock," Oishi said with a dry laugh that sounded more like a strangled sigh. "You poor thing- you must be exhausted!"

"So-Where exactly are you travelling to anyway?" Momo asked gruffly from his position on the floor, with a lopsided smile on his lips that did not seem to match with his muscular frame. "Is it far from here?"

Sakuno thought for a moment before finally hesitantly nodding her head. "I was going to Estanria."

"Estanria, as in the Capital City?" Kikumaru piped up excitedly. "Do you have business with the King?"

Ryoma snorted. "Please, the King is not the only person who lives in the Capital City."

"Well- I thought- if she knew him it would make what we are doing so much easier-"

"What, you think everyone going to the city is a distant cousin of His Majesty?" Ryoma scoffed. "You sound like everyone goes there with no other purpose other than to accompany the King for a cup of tea."

Kikumaru's face brightened with a grin. "Why not? I'm sure he would appreciate the offer."

Ryoma rolled his eyes. "And anyway, in case you've forgotten - it's not the King we are interested in, it's the _Princess_."

Sakuno felt a sudden prick of curiosity in her chest, but she gulped it back down along with her flash of amusement at the amiable argument currently playing out in front of her. As far as she knew, she was not yet in the situation to relax and open her mind up to humour, especially not to a group of strangers.

Yet when Ryoma and Kikumaru finally remembered the source of their argument and turned their expectant eyes onto her, she felt her lips part and the string of words naturally flowed out like a dollop of honey.

"Well… actually, I was on the way to Princess Saki's birthday ball."

* * *

Ryoma felt a sudden hush fall over the group.

"You're going to the Princess's ball – in two weeks time?" Momo repeated slowly, his eyes widened. "Do you _know_ the Princess?"

"Well – n-not exactly," Sakuno stammered. "I am just the daughter of a small Earl in Horell. I've… I've never met Her Highness but am attending in response to the invitations sent to all the Nobel Families in the Kingdoms."

Ryoma eyed her pearl-like creamy complexion, her hands as smooth as polished china, her travel gown that had been conjured out of slippery silk, and nodded slowly. It was not difficult to believe she was daughter of an Earl.

"…But surely you will have to travel back to Horell now? With…what happened to you?" Ryoma asked slowly, and almost regretted it when he saw her thin shoulders flinch slightly at the memory.

"Of course not!" Oishi's voice cut through the silence as he turned his warm eyes onto the girl in front of the fire. "We are, in fact, also on the way to Estanria – if you don't mind travelling with us, we would be happy to escort you there, My Lady."

Ryoma looked back at him, shocked. Surely a fine educated young lady – even if it was just a lowly Earl's daughter – would not resort to travelling with a group of strange men who has done nothing so far but peppering her with questions.

But he was even more stupefied when the girl – after a brief hesitation – gave a small nod with her head.

"If you would be so kind," She blushed and glanced nervously around the circle of faces around the room. "I hope it would not be too much trouble."

"No, no trouble at all, My Lady!" Kikumaru jumped onto his feet and did an exaggerated bow with a bit of his own added flourish, and winked as he glanced up at her, making her blush even more. But it wasn't until the next comment that she felt embarrassed enough to want to reconsider her decision to travel with these men who she knew next to nothing about.

"Alright – that's all very well…" Ryoma said with a sigh as he rubbed his right temple with his fingers, trying to suppress the gnawing headache that threatened to explode from the depth of his tired brain. Then he lifted his intense golden eyes towards her and she could see the glimmer of distrust in the depth of the glowing amber pools. "-but just so you know, if you want to travel with us, you can't have gravy all over your cheek."

The blush turned scarlet as Sakuno's eyes widened and, having looked desperately around for more napkin and finding none, she resorted to using a corner of the sleeve of her ruined dress and started rubbing her cheeks furiously.

Ryoma felt a small bubble of triumph stir in his chest as he turned back towards his bed, but the next second cold fingers closed around his ear and give a sharp twist, making him yelp with pain.

"_Echizen_-" Fuji's smile was almost murderous as he breathed into Ryoma's stinging ear. "I recall getting you to ask for her name, but did I also ask you to insult her?"

Ryoma scowled and clapped a hand over his ear that felt like it was about to burst into flames.

"I was only telling the truth!"

"Ah, then you should do _this_." Fuji bent down and gently put a hand on Sakuno's, which was still rubbing her cheeks so vigorously it left two round raw marks on her face. She stopped and peered up into Fuji's face, surprised and slightly fearful. Fuji calmly pulled out a clean handkerchief from his pocket and smiled reassuringly as he carefully dabbed away the tiny drop of gravy still lingering on the corner of her mouth.

"T-Thank you," Sakuno whispered shyly after she had recovered from a stunned silence.

"The pleasure is all mine." Complete with a charming smile.

Ryoma could hear a small commotion behind him on the beds as the rest of his companions tried to suppress their snorts of laughter. He thought he caught a muffled gasp followed by the start of a protest from Oishi's direction, but when he swept what he hoped to be an icy glare over the group, he saw Kikumaru's hand clamped over Oishi's mouth and three pairs of eyes looking innocently back at him.

Then he looked back at Fuji, who had already fallen into easy conversation with a dazed looking Sakuno. Ryoma rolled his eyes and shuffled back to his plate of food, which he now strongly regretted leaving in the first place. At least his potatoes did not turn scarlet when he poked it with his fork, and his bread did not snicker at him when it had soaked up the gravy on his plate.


	3. Chapter Three

Sakuno was awoken by a loud crash that sent flocks of sparrows fluttering into a panicked flight outside her window. She sat up groggily in bed and for a moment felt completely at a loss for how she had ended up in this room.

She stumbled over to the small basin and pitcher of water in the corner of the room to clean herself up, and was taken back by her haggard reflection in the small mirror above it. Her face was deathly pale and there were dark shadows below her chocolate-brown eyes. Her hair was matted and rumpled from sleep which made her yearn for a bath, but she was soon reminded of her penniless state and was now shamefully relying on the charity of the curious crew of men who had seemed strangely eager to help her – especially after she revealed that she was on her way to the Royal Palace.

Well, all except one.

Sakuno was sure when the boy with the emerald hair had saved her from the bandits, he was far from expecting her to become his travel companion for the next two weeks. To be honest, she did not blame him for holding suspicions for her, but she was simply not used to being treated with first indifference, then with such cold doubt.

She didn't know which one of the two was worse.

There was a knock on the door just as Sakuno was attempting to untangle her long auburn hair and pull it into some sort of orderly braid, and she tensed at the sound. With images of the scar-faced man barging into the room and pinning her to the floor, she felt her throat seize up in terror.

"Sakuno-chan? Are you awake?" A voice asked on the other side of the door. Although slightly muffled, its note of energy and cheeriness was unmistakable.

Sakuno felt herself relax and was just starting to nod her head when she realised the other person could not possibly see her response outside the room. She scowled at her own stupidity and briskly went forward to open the door.

The smile that welcomed her was bright and incredibly warm. Her mood lifted even more when she saw the bundle that was deposited into her arms.

"Thought you might need this," Kikumaru flashed a grin. "Everyone's waiting outside the inn. We figured it might be a good idea to hit the road early - since we've got a ball to go to!"

He waved away the apology that was about to gush from Sakuno's lips and pointed to outside her room.

"I'm honoured to be of service to My Lady today, so please allow me to escort you to out humble travel coach when you are ready." He gave a small bow.

Sakuno flushed. "Oh, please- just call me Sakuno as you did before! But- you… you have a coach?"

Kikumaru scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well… it's even more comfortable than a coach in my opinion! If you don't mind the smell and clutter, that is." He added with a wink and disappeared out the door, leaving Sakuno blinking confusedly at the empty space.

After hastily pulling on the clean change of clothing that Kikumaru had seemed to conjure out of nowhere, Sakuno stepped out of the door and followed her enthusiastic escort down the stairs and into the crisp morning air.

Although she was not exactly expecting a gleaming luxurious coach, what she saw in front of the inn still made her stagger with surprise.

Because, of course, it was not a coach at all. It was a wagon.

And not just any wagon – it was an _acting_ wagon.

The wooden structure looked frighteningly frail as it bathed in the golden sunlight, it creaked and groaned in protest as Momo and Oishi strapped it to a team of grumpy-looking horses. The yellow paint on the side of the wagon was cracked and peeling away like flakes of autumn leaves, but Sakuno could still make out the words if she squinted hard enough.

_The Seishun Acting Company_

_The Youth Acting Company? _She read with an air of incredulity as her eyes drifted over to Momo, whose unshaven appearance made him look about forty but was apparently much younger than he appeared. Suddenly feeling terribly rude, Sakuno shook her head and refocused on the wagon.

"Welcome to the humble home of the most famous acting crew in the Kingdom!" Kikumaru announced happily beside her and gestured for her to walk closer. "I know it doesn't look like much, but believe me - it's much cozier inside."

_Now it all makes sense, _Sakuno's eyes widened as she thought of Kikumaru's dramatic flare, the dangerously charming Fuji, and the soft-spoken Oishi with his grace and certain feminine quality. Like pieces of a puzzle, they seemed to fit perfectly into the different roles of a play.

At that moment, the small door on the side of the wagon swung open, and the youngest man of the group poked his head out. His emerald hair was tousled and his eyes were still fogged with sleep, making them appear softer than the previous night. But as soon as his eyes laid upon her, they sharpened.

"Good morning… Ryoma-kun," She greeted him nervously after a long period of awkward silence.

"…Morning," He replied with an unfeeling tone, then jumped down from the wagon and walked over to help Fuji load supplies for the road into saddlebacks strapped onto the other two horses.

Clearly, he did not intend to even try and make her feel welcome.

She tried to ignore the feeling of hurt that pricked uncomfortably in her chest like a rose bush. _I wonder what kind of role he usually plays?_ Sakuno thought as Kikumaru helped her into the wagon, but her train of thoughts was abruptly cut off as her eyes took in the alarming sight before her.

It was as if a pack of angry bulls had just been held hostage in the room. There were explosions of worn wrinkled costumes in every corner of the tiny confined space, with smaller, more irregular piles of wigs and belts hastily strewn across the hard pitted floor that someone had attempted to cover up with an old faded rug. Fake jewelry of every imaginable kind and boxes of theater powder spilled out of the storage chests half-hidden under the disarray of props. And a lone beret that looked like it had been trampled hung sadly on a hook by another door on the opposite side of the wagon, its brilliant red turned a greyish-maroon by a fine layer of – _is that _soot_? _Sakuno thought with disbelief - that had been smeared on by an enthusiastic hand.

A single oil lamp overhead flickered a few times like a weak welcome as she struggled to take all these in.

Perhaps she had made a very regrettable mistake in deciding to travel with these strangers.

"Uh, sorry I know it looks a bit horrendous and all – but Oishi has been too busy organizing the scripts the last few days to tidy things up." Kikumaru broke the stunned silence with a slightly embarrassed chuckle.

_A few days? And that's all it takes for it to look like this? _She swallowed and took a few tentative steps forward. As she moved further into the wagon, She caught a strong whiff of musty fabric and stale leather that made her wrinkle her nose in distaste, but she tried to keep it hidden from the man behind her as she carefully picked her way across the room, further surveying her surroundings as she went.

"So… what kind of acts do you do, exactly?" She gaped at the huge range of clothes hung on a makeshift rope across the ceiling as well as those gathered about her ankles. The selection ranged from colourful striated gypsy attire, plain everyday blouses and breeches that had been worn through at the knees, to lavish ball gowns laced through with silk ribbons and intricate embroidery. It almost made Sakuno giggle imagining one of the men dressed in the fine gown, despite the dire circumstances.

"Ah, now you've asked the right question!" Kikumaru picked up a smoke pipe off the floor and began twirling it freely between his fingers. "To put it simply, we act out the most exciting, dramatic, _flamboyant _current affairs of and _for_ the people of the Kingdom."

Mystified by the description, Sakuno looked back at him with a small frown.

"You mean… like a news station? But surely the King has messengers who travel all over-"

"No, no! Of course we do not deliver official news and words of His Majesty, but more of a portrayal of the more… idle tales that people are always dying to hear more of," He said with a secretive glint in his oddly bright feline eyes.

"Things like… the tragic tale of a beautiful young duchess falling in love with a duke from a rival family and their adventures after eloping, or that of a handsome young earl falling in love with an innocent maid working in his Summer mansion… ah yes, not long ago we had a particularly heroic one about a poor peddler saving a girl from a massive fire and ending up loosing a leg – but don't worry, that one had a surprisingly happy ending both in real life and our play," Kikumaru reassured her with a grin.

Somehow she was not as certain of the idea as he was.

"Why are they… all love stories?" She asked.

Kikumaru stared at her as if he thought he had not heard correctly. "Of course everything has to have a bit of romance in it to jazz up the drama! And believe it or not, that's always what the audience wants to see – even the men – and even if it's just a little taste of it."

Sakuno took a moment to process the information. Suddenly she remembered something that Ryoma had said from the previous night, and she seized the chance to voice her curiosity.

"And… why are you particularly interested about the Princess?"

Kikumaru hesitated, but just as he was about to open his mouth a shadow appeared in the door way from which they had just entered and a small horrified gasp interrupted whatever answer the red-haired man was about to say.

"OH-Oh my _Gosh_- Sakuno-chan, I am so sorry to have you see this mess! Here let me clean this up right this moment so you can have somewhere to rest – I was meant to do this this morning but I really didn't trust Momo with the supplies money and-"

"It's-its quite ok, Oishi-san," Although slightly disappointed at the interruption, she didn't let it show as she helped Oishi roll up the bundles of costumes and stuff the jewelry back into the heavy chests. Soon a fraction of a space had been cleared out in a corner of the wagon, although a wobbly tower of props beside it looked more in danger of toppling over than ever.

And so it was in an extremely awkward position that Sakuno embarked on her journey with the acting crew of Seishun, cramped into a tiny space between a ball of crumpled canvas and a stack of old scripts covered with faded ink.

What's more, she found herself only inches away from the piercing hawk-like eyes of a certain member of the crew who she was beginning to suspect was intentionally trying to make her uncomfortable to the point that she would be forced to leave the group on her own accord. And unfortunately for her, because of his injured arm he seemed destined to be her closest travel companion, as the other four men apparently did not think twice to take their usual positions on horseback.

But apart from the lack of conversation during the journey, the doubtful condition of the interior of the wagon and the rather bumpy patches of the road that led North towards the Capital City, Sakuno could almost say she was enjoying herself.

There was a small window that opened out form the wagon just to the right of Sakuno's seat, and the cool refreshing air that poured in embraced Sakuno with a rich soothing scent of damp earth and flourishing daffodils. Occasionally she heard sounds of other travellers passing by, with the sharp clopping of hooves against the hard dirt road and the gentle thrum of trailers as they rolled by in a cloud of dust. Most of the time Sakuno would peep out of the window after one had passed to catch a glimpse of a cluster of sheep that was huddling together for warmth with their rosy freshly-shaven skin, or mountains of sacks overfilled with fresh juicy apples that emanated a mouth-watering perfume of sweetness.

By the thirtieth time she sprang up to clutch eagerly at the window frame, she had almost forgotten the brooding presence behind her. She found herself smiling in wonder as she took in the sight of a sea of seedlings all positioned in perfect formation on the rice field like an army of little green soldiers, and the network of streams flowing between the paddies that glistened like a myriad of diamonds polished by the soft caresses of dawn.

She was so entranced by the sight that she did not even hear her name being repeated in the background until the voice grew quite irritated.

"Sakuno!"

She jumped and reluctantly dragged her eyes back from the picturesque countryside to the dim cluttered surroundings in the wagon.

She stilled.

For Ryoma was kneeling only a few feet behind her, fingering a pistol in his hand.

She was almost about to let out a cry for help, when she realised with a start that the pistol looked awfully familiar. She paled and held out her hand for it.

"How did you get that? Give it back…please."

Ryoma looked back at her with small glint of interest in his eyes.

"So this _is_ your pistol, I was wondering last night whether you had stolen it off one of the bandits," He dropped it back into her palm and she felt a flood of relief as her fingers closed over the cold metal. "It fell out of your skirt when you jumped up."

"Oh," She blushed as she imagined him staring at her skirt as she excitedly jumped up to admire the beautiful sceneries. Feeling suddenly breathless, she certainly hoped the borrowed skirt was not as tight-clinging as she was beginning to believe. But Ryoma seemed to have already lost interest in her as these thoughts flashed through her brain.

The next instant he was sitting back down in his corner of the wagon, and Sakuno soon followed suit after a brief pause.

There was a gap of silence as she stared at him, and he at the floor. She could hear the muffled voices and bursts of laughter that floated in from the rest of their travel companions through the open window, and a cool breeze ruffled the lace ornaments on several costumes, which sounded eerily like a quiet whisper that echoed around the room.

"Um… how is your arm?" Feeling suddenly very much alone, Sakuno decided to make another attempt at conversation. Besides, there were some things in particular about him that made her want to know him more… a feeling of familiarity? Or their similarity in age, perhaps.

Her heart beat a little faster when she caught the lazy flicker of amber in her direction.

"Fine," He replied, and looked down at his bandaged arm which was now resting in a temporary sling slung around his neck.

"And… your shoulder?"

"…Same."

"Oh… well, that's good," She said stiffly, trying to ignore the stab of guilt in her chest at the memory of her firing the pistol in accident last night.

"I _am _sorry about last night… and I haven't thanked you yet, for saving me." She licked her lips nervously as she struggled to get the words out. "I really appreciated it, Ryoma-kun."

She swore she saw him stiffen, but the next moment he shrugged, then winced slightly at the pain.

"I'm sure even if I hadn't come along, you would have been able to find some way to save yourself," he said and looked pointedly at the pistol in her hand.

Shaking her head, she flashed him a small smile. "You saw how bad my aim was... No matter how many times my brother tried to teach me, I could never seem to get it right. But he told me to carry it around just in case… and good thing I did too."

There was a pause.

"… So you have a brother?"

Sakuno blinked in surprise. This was surely the first sign of interest that he had shown in her the whole day. She almost smiled.

"Yes, he is so much older than me though, and also squite protective – just like my father," Sakuno said with a tiny sigh. "I hardly leave the house at all – all I do is sewing and knitting and endless embroidery work… you can't imagine how _impossibly_ long the days seem."

"Then why did this brother of yours not escort you to Estanria?"

"H-He had to depart first to help with the ball arrangements at the Palace – he is much more involved and _calculating_ in that kind of things than me you know- but I am sure he will be wondering why I have not yet arrived in a few days…" Her words trailed off as she caught a whiff of something that smelled so glorious she once again sprang up and stuck her head out of the window. Not realizing the fact that her pistol had once again slipped out of her skirts and clattered onto the wooden floor of the wagon.


	4. Chapter Four

For the thirtieth time that day, Ryoma found himself staring, once again, at the girl in front of him who was struggling to look out of the small window. Her petite form was shaking slightly, fighting for balance as she attempted to stretch to her maximum height on tiptoes, and her auburn hair still looked more like a bird's nest than the neat braids she had apparently attempted to make them be. Yet her fair complexion was now flushed with excitement as she scanned the view with a hunger that held true to her words of never being let out of her father's house.

His eyes drifted down to the pistol, again all but forgotten on the cold hard floor, and his eyebrow quirked involuntarily with helpless amusement. He bent down and picked it up, then slipped it into his sling without a word. For now, it seemed like it was going to be a much safer home than her skirt pocket, that's for sure.

Then, slightly curious at what had caught her attention this time, he leaned his uninjured arm on the frame of the window above her head and also peered out of the wagon.

The first thing he noticed was the aroma of candied hazelnuts mingled with wood smoke wafting in from the gathering dusk falling over the treetops. Shadows flew by in a blur of grey as the wagon rolled steadily forward. Then his eyes took in the sight of a single hut flashing by – then a second and third and fourth – and suddenly they were rolling on the edge of a village square brightly lit by countless torches bursting with fiery hot flames and a massive bonfire that roared ferociously and spat out showers of golden sparks with hiccups of smoke.

There were people everywhere, meandering around the handful of stalls fanned out around the bonfire, dancing and skipping in time with the merry gigue streaming out from a small cheerful ensemble close to the entrance to the square. Children were giggling and weaving through the clusters of adults clutching sticks of caramel apples and crispy warm bread filled with fresh cream and dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon, and the hum of conversation was mixed with hoots of laughter and loud passionate cries from the stall keepers to attract potential customers.

The Fire Festival.

Ryoma peered down at the girl's face below him, and her shining eyes were as large as saucers as they tried to absorb everything they saw. She was clutching the window frame so tightly her knuckles had turned white, and her small lips were slightly parted in wonder.

It was a long moment before she seemed to register that Ryoma was looking at her, and as her head whipped around, Ryoma could see the alarm written on her face at his proximity. Her rosy cheeks reddened even more, but he found it difficult to judge whether it was a trick of firelight or from the overwhelming excitement, or neither. Hastily, she dropped down from her toes and took a step back, as if he was a huge venomous spider waiting to bite off her head, and he was equally surprised to find a prick of disappointment in his chest, as if a kitten he had tried to feed all day had raced back under the bed after taking only a single bite.

As the wagon finally rolled to a stop, Ryoma took another quick glance out of the window. They had stopped at a clearing in the corner of the square between a cart selling pulled candy and a busker juggling with flaming torches that hissed as he put the ends in his mouth.

"…Where are we?" A faint squeaky voice drew his attention back to the wagon. He looked at her a long moment before answering.

"Ignis, the village of fire," He said softly, and allowed himself to show a small smirk when she stared blankly back at him. He gestured towards the swell of activity outside, "The nature of our job means we always follow the crowd, and nothing is better than that gathered at a festival."

As if on cue, the door of the wagon was flung open at the precise instant, and Kikumaru burst in with an excited cry.

"Come on, Ochibi, Sakuno-chan!" His bright red hair glowed softly in the flickering firelight as he bounced around the room, grabbing costumes and wigs off the rack with obvious enthusiasm.

"Now's the time!"

* * *

The play was magnificent.

And very entertaining.

_Very_.

Right from the first moment Oishi hobbled onto the stage cloaked in a flowery shawl and a tiny pair of spectacles sitting at the end of his nose, Sakuno was choking with laughter along with the rest of the audience. The crowd had started gathering as soon as they had set up the stage from a contraption on top of the wagon, and by the time the show began it had grown to a very impressive size. Sakuno found that she was regrettably not much help backstage – for it certainly didn't help that she was blushing furiously every time she glimpsed a bare chest or a man just in his leggings - hence she had chosen to wander to the front and mingle with the anticipating crowd, while securing herself a place with the best view.

It was certainly a very appreciative crowd, and Sakuno immensely enjoyed the swell of emotion and waves of squeals and laughter that arose out from everywhere around her. She could feel her own mood rise and fall with the gasps and sighs of the women and the shouts and groans of the men – and she absolutely loved the fast-paced adventure that the crew of the company had weaved out.

Like Kikumaru described – the performance was filled with refreshing comedy, juicy romance, wicked betrayal, and nerve wrecking pursues of the hero and heroine. Often the actors had to multi-task and portray many different characters in consecutive scenes, and Sakuno found it endlessly amusing to see Kikumaru as the beautiful raven-haired heroine with an exaggerated high-pitched voice in one scene, and a proud stern soldier in stiff gleaming uniform hunting down the protagonists in the next. Or Fuji as a poor old beggar in rags pleading at the heroine's feet in one act, then transformed to the handsome courageous Duke that made all the ladies in the audience sigh in the next.

But what she wasn't expecting was the reaction of the women around her when Ryoma stepped onto the stage. The women positively screamed their hearts out when the young Prince bowed deeply to the audience and held out a hand to the heroine, who blushed on the spot and made an act of shrinking back behind a pillar in shyness. Not that he would, of course, be discouraged. Ryoma – or The Prince – clad in a shining red vest over a snowy white shirt that hid his bandages, flashed a wickedly charming smirk at the audience and softened it into a smile as he turned back to the heroine. Then slowly, as if approaching a fearful puppy, he inched forward while murmuring sweet soothing words until he finally took hold of her hand, which he brought up to his lips for a feather-light kiss.

The ladies fell into a frenzy then, and Sakuno could hardly believe her eyes when she spotted several men rushing out of the crowd, shouting as they struggled to cart limp female bodies out of the captivated crowd.

She told herself that it was because he was playing the Prince, but even she couldn't help feeling a flutter of disappointment and a lingering admiration when it was revealed in the finale that Ryoma was the evil villain scheming to steal the heroine away from the Duke. And neither could the rest of the women, obviously. There were gasps of disbelief and even tears of betrayal as Sakuno spotted a few handkerchiefs fluttering in the cool night breeze. He had certainly played the perfect kind-hearted Prince convincingly enough.

The play ended in a strong flood of applause and piercing whistles urging for an encore. The curtain call dragged on as the actors smiled in gratitude and repeatedly bowed to the blinding shower of coins that clinked against the floor of the stage, soon forming small silver pools interspersed with fresh fragrant flowers that bounced in a flurry of orange and red petals as they were cast at the actor's feet.

Sakuno clapped just as long and hard as everyone else. She clapped until her hands were raw and stinging and still she banged her hands together in awe. This was a _world_ away from the plays she had previously been shown – and far more exciting and overwhelming than anything she could ever have imagined. So many things amazed her – the bountiful energy of the actors even after a long day on the road, the flawless dialogue and smiles and gestures that were cued at precisely the perfect time.

And of course, the unexpected talent that her silent travel companion had for making her fearful and awkward one moment, and blushing and smiling like an idiot the next.

It was almost alarming to think what more he could do.

"What are you doing?"

She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Whipping her head around, she was for a moment frozen for words as Ryoma's unreadable eyes bore into hers. He had changed back to his normal attire of a plain white shirt and brown breeches, and his sling was back in place around his neck.

"You've been standing here like a statue forever," Ryoma smirked and gestured behind her with his uninjured hand. "The crowd is long gone."

Sakuno looked around slowly. And sure enough, she was standing quite alone in front of the empty stage, with some bare skewers and breadcrumbs littered near her feet.

"O-Oh… I'm sorry," She stammered, but as soon as the words left her mouth she felt ridiculous. Why was she apologizing? But words of compliment seemed to have stuck in her throat like a particularly big piece of dry stale bread. Despite her struggle to get them out, they refused to budge; leaving her mouth opening and closing like a petrified goldfish.

Yet it seemed that her efforts to speak was in futile, because before she realised what was happening she was being pulled impatiently toward the crowds at the other end of the square.

"Come on, do you want to see the festival or not?"

Sakuno stared down wordlessly at the strong grip around her wrist, and felt the familiar heat rising up from her neck. She tried her best to fight it down, and increased her pace to keep up with her companion.

"Wait - Where is everyone else?"

"Oh they're all going to the inn first to sleep – I'd imagine they've seen enough festivals in their lifetime to miss this one."

"Then… what about you? If you want to rest I can-"

"I had a nap in the wagon today so I'm fine."

"But you have seen this festival before, too?"

He shrugged lightly in response.

"I kind of feel like a candied apple so thought…no harm done."

She beamed, her eyes already glowing with excitement.

"Candied apple! …What's that?"

* * *

The blast of tangy juice mixed with the crunch of salted sweetness from the caramel coating melted into a blissful symphony of flavours that lingered on her tongue long after she had swallowed the first bite.

Sakuno was mute with happiness as she devoured the candied apple in big satisfying chunks, ignoring the juice that trickled down her chin from the corner of her mouth.

It wasn't until she had polished off the skewer and was licking her lips in content that she realised how boorish she must have looked, munching on a big apple like there was no tomorrow. And she immediately felt a thousand times worse when she met the scrutinizing eyes of Ryoma standing beside her, having also just finished his caramel apple. The amusement in his face was unmistakable now and she wished she could sink straight through the ground to the other side of the earth.

"Obviously hadn't had one of those, huh?" He cocked his eyebrow and had the satisfaction of watching her blush as she dabbed at the corner of her lips.

"Like I said… my father never let me-"

"-out of the house. Yes, yes, I remember."

He led her through the crowd towards another stall selling roasted hazelnuts glazed with sparkling syrup, glancing back frequently to ensure she hadn't vanished into the throng of bodies.

So far this festival had been absolutely mind-blowing. Sakuno had never encountered anything like it in her life – it was an exciting adventure for her senses as she smelled and tasted and watched everything with intense fascination. In fact, she swore her brain was so overflowing with new information steam was coming out from her ears. Although slightly worried that her companion would grow irritated with her wealth of questions, Ryoma had been surprisingly patient and although the answers were never long, he did provide her with one whenever she asked. The only time he appeared reluctant to reply was when she had questioned why a certain girl had given him an extra bag of spiced cheese rolls and insisted with a blush for him to keep it.

"Do you know her?" She asked curiously, to which Ryoma only grunted in annoyance and circled back to discreetly leave a few extra coins on the counter.

By the time they had made their way around the full circle of stalls, the bonfire had died down to a pile of glowing embers smoldering with white smoke. Much of the crowd had dispersed and there were only a few stray couples still lingering on the dance floor, swaying gently to the yawning string crescendos and blurring murmurs of the accordion.

Sakuno was exhausted. Her thrilling experience had drained much of the energy she had built up over a long day cooped up in a wagon, but she could not stop smiling in memory as she followed Ryoma along the quiet village streets towards the inn. Yet just as the music and bustle of the festival grounds had faded to a faint hum, Ryoma stopped and pressed a finger to his lips as Sakuno looked up at him questioningly.

He led her away from the dim streets into the shadow of the trees, and for a moment Sakuno panicked, thinking whether she had been too relaxed around this man. She had only known him for a day, after all. But as Ryoma helped her over the tangled roots and crumbling rocks scattered over the earth, she began to breathe a little easier again.

She did not know when, but the suspicion from his eyes had faded at some point during the night. Although those golden eyes remained cool and composed, they had somehow lost the sharp edge and she found herself wanting to stir up some emotion in those deep pools several times throughout the night, just to see what hid behind that mysterious cold veil.

When they broke through the thick canopy of trees, Sakuno stopped. She had thought that no matter what happened she could not be anymore astonished than she already was, but it seemed like she was again proven wrong.

"They're cherry blossoms – It's pretty hard to see them this early anywhere else," Ryoma said to her as he made his way toward the giant ring of trees whose branches were so full with flourishing pink and white petals they seemed like they were curled under the weight, or it could be Sakuno's imagination.

As Sakuno followed in a daze, the smooth snowy petals floated around them like tiny winged fairies, kissing the top of their hair and cheeks and muffling their footsteps with a thin layer of soft velvet, as if they were treading upon a shimmering cloud. She almost believed they had intruded on a hauntingly beautiful dream.

There was a large flat rock positioned perfectly in the center of the ring of trees, and as they sat down Sakuno rubbed her sore feet gratefully, unaccustomed to standing for hours in unfamiliar footwear.

"How did you find this place?" Her voice came out as a soft whisper, as if in fear of destroying the magical quality of the secluded space.

"Someone once showed it to me," He replied in an equally soft voice.

An image of Ryoma accompanied by a beautiful girl with a fiery red mane under these cherry blossom trees suddenly popped into Sakuno's head, and she pushed the unwelcome thought aside as best as she could.

There was a long silence as they bathed in the silver moonlight and watched the blossoms sway gently in the night breeze.

"Ryoma-kun… how long have you been acting?"

"…Acting? About two years," He paused, picking a petal off the rock and shredding it into tiny pieces. "Two years since I've joined Seishun anyway."

She looked at him, surprised.

"Only two years? I would have thought… you have been acting your whole life!" She drew her knees higher up on the rock and rested her chin on them. "What were you doing before that?"

"…You really want to know?" The amber eyes flashed at her, and for a moment she felt a chill crawl up her spine. "I was a pickpocket."

She gaped at him in alarm, searching for a trace of humour in his face. There was none.

"Seriously?"

He smirked then, and shook his head. Sakuno felt her face redden and swallowed a sigh of relief.

"I was just a kitchen hand in a tavern," He looked away then, and she thought she detected hollowness in his voice.

She thought back to the kitchen maids she had encountered up until that point – the grease on their hands and faces that never completely washed away and the ugly welts from burns that covered their fingers. She felt instant sympathy for him. No wonder he had chosen acting over that.

"…And that's why you decided to join Seishun? The job in the tavern was… not ideal?" She asked carefully.

There was a long pause, and she almost believed he was not going to answer when he finally spoke.

"No, I joined Seishun for an adventure, to see the world," He turned to her, his radiant eyes blazing as they met hers.

"Just like you, Your Highness."


	5. Chapter Five

She froze.

He watched her in silence, watching her face transform from utter shock to dread.

"…How long? How did you know?" She asked, her strangled voice barely louder than a whisper.

"It's not hard – I had my suspicions when you said you were from Horell, unfortunately, I am from a small village close to Horell and I had never heard of the Earl there having a daughter your age. But I was only absolutely sure when I saw this-"

Ryoma pulled out a small pistol from his sling, and Sakuno paled.

For embossed on the bottom of the grip, was a small golden shield with a rearing lion and an intricate crown. The crest of the Royal Family.

"Sorry I… kept it when you dropped it again on the wagon," Ryoma said guiltily as he held it out to her, but was surprised when she shook her head stiffly.

"No, I… I think you had better keep it for me. I don't know who else is going to know if I drop it again and knowing how clumsy I am – I am sure to do it again," She buried her head into her hands with a groan. "Oh what am I going to do? Now you are going to hand me over to the Royal Guards, aren't you?"

"Well, I think we better start with the truth," Ryoma said, putting the pistol gently back into his sling.

Sakuno nodded miserably. And slowly relayed to him the events of the past few days.

* * *

Princess Saki could feel blood pounding in her ears as she told Ryoma how she had wanted to escape the prison-like Palace, and see a little of the world and get to know her people. She had chosen the time prior to the ball, when almost everyone in the Palace would be preoccupied with its preparation and would be least at risk of noticing her absence, then took only her most trusted and loyal guards and coachmen on her journey. However, never did she expect to be attacked on the road by bandits, and the story from then on was mostly identical to the version she had already told the rest of their company.

In spite of her fears, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief as she finished. But knowing she had thrown an unfairly heavy burden onto the shoulders of Ryoma, she prayed that he could understand her situation and not use this information against her. Somehow, if she could trust her first instinct, she knew that he wouldn't.

Ryoma remained silent for a long time. At last he straightened and stood up from the rock, stretching gracefully like a cat before turning and holding out a hand to help her up. After a brief hesitation, she accepted his hand, but was surprised when he did not release her hand even after she had steadied herself.

"…Do you really think I would hand you over?" He asked in a low voice.

Saki gulped as she felt his warm breath on her neck, but bit her lip and slowly shook her head. Then let out a chocked laugh that tasted slightly bitter on her tongue.

"You are probably enjoying this, aren't you? Now's your chance to blackmail a princess," She said quietly, then felt the fingers around hers tighten.

Ryoma's eyes flashed dangerously as he let go of her hand. "I think it would be better for you to trust me, especially now."

"How do you expect me to do that when _you_ were the one who didn't trust me in the first place?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "But now it seems like I was quite right, don't you think?"

She felt her cheeks heat up, but this time with anger and not embarrassment. And she heard her own voice tremble as it grew in volume.

"Well – fine! I imagine you're thinking the reward would be more useful to you than having a girl tag along for two weeks anyway. I'll be sure to tell my father to reward you handsomely," She said coldly. The neglected blossoms were beginning to blur together as hot tears stung her eyes. The plan to escape the Palace suddenly seemed so stupid now that it had turned into a huge disaster. So much for all her patient planning and mental preparation… now she would most likely return to her prison having gained nothing but a severe scolding from both her father and brother.

She heard a sigh, and she looked up to see Ryoma had turned away so she could not read his expression. But his voice was eerily calm as he spoke.

"I don't think you can go back the way you are," He began making his way back towards the village road, and she saw a handful of petals swirl between them like the whirlwind of tension drilling a crack in their newly formed bond.

He glanced back then, and she almost cringed at the pity in his eyes.

"You still have a lot more to work on."

* * *

Saki.

Her name is Saki.

Or more accurately, Princess Saki.

Ryoma squeezed his eyes shut, counted to five, and opened them again, but the girl dozing in front of him did not change. The same light auburn hair and milky white skin that was as flawless as porcelain, the same slow steady breathing and a dainty drop of dribble barely visible from her slightly parted lips.

They had not spoken since last night at the cherry blossom field, with the exception of an awkward greeting that morning as they took their positions in the wagon – each choosing a corner of the wagon that was as far from each other as the cramped space permitted.

He wasn't entirely certain whether she had distanced herself from him because he knew her identity, or because of what he had said to her last night. He had to admit he was not entirely guiltless, but he agreed with her – she needed to see the world, especially of who she was. And if voicing out his agreement hurt her, he could only imagine what kind of Princess she would become.

Her innocence was so pristine he was almost afraid to hold a conversation with her in fear of corrupting her purity, especially after confirming her identity as possibly the one soul in the Kingdom that was not to be tampered with. Yet on the other hand, her naivety also brought out an air of honesty that made the Princess somehow…extremely approachable. At times she seemed so bewildered and vulnerable, but other times she showed a fierce formidable side that he had rarely seen in a girl, and never in one who belonged so high up on the social hierarchy.

He looked out of the window and a gloomy view met his eyes. Rain had returned early that morning before they set out, and even though it had lightened to a foggy drizzle now that it was close to midday, the slushy road was proving to be a hindrance in their progress and did not make the wagon ride a particularly comfortable one. He could hear Momo's muffled shouts to keep the horses in single file as they trudged along the wet mud, and Kikumaru's good-natured words of encouragement to the beautiful beasts. Even though Oishi had suggested at least one other man to stay inside the wagon, all of them seemed to prefer braving the weather on horseback with their oiled cloaks. Ryoma suspected it was because of Fuji's unsurprisingly sharp sixth-sense picking up on Saki's desire to be alone after last night – although of course unfortunately Ryoma's arm and shoulder still prevented him from having that privilege of escaping the stifling tension.

At this thought, Ryoma groaned slightly as he mentally prepared himself for another consequence of his confrontation with Saki. No doubt he will be having another scolding tonight about what he had done to her. He found it almost alarming how much his friends had taken to the young Princess – almost as if she was their long-lost sister who they had a duty to protect.

_Like I thought_, _she has a natural ability to connect with people_.

Suddenly Ryoma's thoughts broke off as the wagon lurched to a shuttering stop. There was a yell and confused shouts outside as Ryoma sprang up and stuck his head out of the window, feeling the cool drops strike his temple and trickle down his cheek in a trail of ice.

His heart plummeted as he spotted that one of the wagon's wheels had sunk into a deep pool of mud on a particularly run-down part of the road. He could see Momo swearing profusely at the wheel as he struggled to pull it free from the sludge with Kikumaru, and Fuji calmly circling the wagon, examining the rest of the wagon for signs of damage. Oishi was flapping around the men hard at work at the wheel, with lines of worry etched between his brows as he held a flimsy piece of oiled cloth over the men's heads as a pathetic shelter from the rain.

Ryoma cursed under his breath as he wrenched open the door and hopped down to the thick muck that rose almost halfway to his shins. He thought he heard a faint sleepy question behind him as Saki stirred from her nap, but he wasted no time as he hurried to join the others to release the wheel. The air was icy cold, and the mud was slimy as he steadied his footings and hurled the wheel with all his might as the men counted to three. The massive wooden structure creaked and groaned in protest, but remained stubbornly still as the three men fell back, panting heavily for breath from the effort.

Suddenly they heard a soft gasp behind them, and all of them turned toward the sound to find Saki with both hands over her lips. She was also up to her knees in murky brown mud, but she didn't seem to notice as she kicked her way forward until she was just beside Ryoma, her slim shoulders brushing his as her fingers closed over the rim of the wooden wheel.

"Let me help," She said firmly to Momo, when he began shaking his head in protest.

"But-"

"I can't just sit inside and add to the weight now, can I?" Saki smiled faintly as she bundled up her long skirts with one hand and shook it to the back, not flinching as the dirt flicked up and dotted over her snowy white arms.

Unexpectedly, Ryoma felt a wisp of admiration wriggle into his mind as he eyed the tiny girl ready to contribute her limited strength rather than sit in the comfort of the wagon and tremble with fear. He felt the corners of his mouth lift ever so slightly as the rest of the crew fell silent and looked at each other, then they all grinned and began wiping their palms in preparation for the next hurl.

"Why don't we try _pushing_, instead of lifting?" Ryoma suggested when their third try only made the mud beneath the wheels soften, and the wagon sank further into the earth with a sigh, as if the ground was slowly but surely gobbling up the vehicle like a famished monster.

"Now _that_ doesn't sound like a bad idea." Momo lifted a hand to wipe away the sweat beading on his forehead, only to leave long smudges of muck across his brows.

"And why didn't someone think of this in the first place?" Kikumaru poked his burly companion playfully in the ribs as he feigned annoyance, then danced out of the way as Momo attempted to return the poke.

Ryoma rolled his eyes just as he heard a faint giggle next to him, he glanced at Saki and as their eyes met, the giggle faltered and they both turned away again.

"All right, fellows! Push hard when I say – One, two, _three_-"

Feeling his good arm screaming with effort as he drove his strength into every length of muscle connecting him to the wheel, Ryoma gritted his teeth and thrust himself into the wood.

There was a deafening grinding sound, followed by a quiet gurgling that gradually grew louder, until at last – just as he thought the last drop of his energy was draining away – the wheel broke free of the clinging earth and rolled back onto the firmer road surface with a shudder.

But what first hit Ryoma was not relief, but a dizzying blackness that forced him to stagger a few steps before he could steady himself on the side of the wagon. It was as if all the blood in his body had rushed to his arm in his attempt to heave the wagon back to safety, leaving a gaping hole in his brain where he was almost swallowed up into the cold clammy darkness. Shaking his head slightly, he tried to clear the fog of confusion and nausea just as he heard a loud splash and a muffled cry.

He opened his eyes, and his bleary vision cleared enough to show him the image of Saki lying face-down in the pool of mud where the wagon had been a moment ago. He let out a shout of alarm and stumbled forward, reaching out to lift her out of the murky waters just as she squirmed under his grasp.

After a great deal of weak sloshing from both sides, Ryoma finally managed to drag the girl out of the unrelenting mud, and they both collapsed on the cold ground gasping for breath, which somehow – quite unexpectedly – transformed into fits of laughter as they both sat up and stared at each other's faces which were ridiculously caked with a thick layer of dripping brown substance, and each uncontrollably shaking in their muck-drenched clothes.

The laughter felt marvelously refreshing. They laughed until their sides ached and the other men had to help them back into the wagon while exchanging looks of utter bewilderment.

They were still grinning as they wrapped warm dry cloaks around their bodies and leaned their heads back against the wall, spent and exhausted. But just like that, even though neither said anything else to each other for the remainder of the day, Ryoma could feel the crackling tension between them ease a fraction. And the sense of relief surprised him. For even though he thought he could not care less about her awkward nods and blushes before, he did seem to care about her smiles.

A little.


	6. Chapter Six

The week following the mud crisis were comparatively uneventful as Saki and the Seishun crew continued their journey through the peaceful countryside overflowing with vibrant green hills made lush by the recent rainfall, the bleats and timid cries of newborn lambs, and vast fields of violet and golden pansies that sparkled with early morning dews and nodded sleepily in the warm breeze.

Neither Saki nor Ryoma mentioned that particular night's events again, and not a word was uttered about Saki's identity as the Princess, even to the rest of their travel party. Strangely, as if through some silent agreement, the rest of the Seishun members thought it was logical to always pair the two together for chores such as fetching water and firewood for their campsite, or purchasing food supplies or acting necessities from the towns they were passing through. This made it difficult for the awkwardness to last, and soon the tension had faded enough for a comfortable pattern to develop between them as Ryoma showed her around the various festivals and villages at which they performed, while Saki gave him both the audience's and her own feedback on their shows each day.

And it was on one of these ventures in the village of Masinee that Saki thought to ask Ryoma what the acting company was travelling to Estanria for. And the answer made her gentle brown eyes grow huge with surprise.

"Well… it sounds a little silly saying it to you now," Ryoma ruffled his mane of emerald hair and sighed, a little embarrassed. "We were hoping we could somehow… petition to perform at the Princess's ball, or should I say _your _ball."

"What? That's not silly at all! Of course you should!" She exclaimed, feeling excitement stir inside her chest – first time in regard to the upcoming ball. "I will talk to my father when I get back."

Ryoma looked back at her, taking in her shining eyes and a thin thread of honey dripping from the wrapped buttercake that was cradled so preciously in her hands just a moment ago, but it was now almost crushed to crumbs in her tightly clenched hands. He sighed.

"You don't understand, with the things we perform – blowing up the tiniest local gossip, the cheesy romances and superstitious fairytales – all of the nobles that will no doubt be there, and not to mention your father, will most likely find them most inappropriate. Even if you did manage to convince him to let us act." He added when Saki opened her mouth to protest.

She fell silent and thought for a long moment. Ryoma studied her delicate brows that were knitted into a frown and almost smiled. Over the week her naivety had changed very little, but so had her gentle compassion, her passionate will to help others, and the gift to voice out her honest opinion in the sweetest way possible. She was turning out to be the oddest royalty he had ever imagined, and he wasn't sure whether he disliked this version as much as he would have expected a few weeks ago.

"Well then – what were you going to perform if you had been given the chance? Whose idea was this anyway? Oh wait- I think I can guess," She grinned and did a flick-up gesture with her hands at the sides of her head, imitating the two bits of red curls that Kikumaru always seemed to have trouble keeping down.

Ryoma felt his own grin tug at his lips as he nodded. "To be honest – we haven't really planned anything in particular… apart from an idea to do a play around the Princess."

She stopped in her tracks, and several villagers grumbled in response as they circled around them. They had arrived in one of the busiest rows between the food carts and everywhere people were milling past holding sticks of spun candy or bowls of juicy strawberries dipped in fresh cream while chattering happily about the fascinating Gypsy charms and colourful fabrics sold at the stalls on the other end of the festival grounds.

"About _me_?"

"Well – you said yourself how protective your father and brother is. Of course there would be rumours when people see their Princess so rarely."

"What… what sort of rumours, exactly?"

Ryoma paused slightly before answering, and he was horrified to hear himself stammer for the first time in his life.

"Well… about h-how beautiful the Princess is that she has to be locked in a high tower in fear of every man who lays eyes on her falling in love with the Princess, but also the opposite stories of how grotesquely hideous she is, how she is plagued by a terrible illness, or how she is so allergic to basically everything outside the Palace that she will puff up into a big swollen ball as soon as she steps out-"

"You horrid man!"

He stopped as she nudged him in the arm, pouting as she feigned dismay. He smirked.

"The first part is true, I assure you."

"That doesn't particularly make me any happier!"

She brushed past him and stalked towards the ornament stalls, and he kept up easily behind her in relaxed strides.

They didn't speak again for a while as she examined the vast range of glimmering bracelets and sparkling jewelry with interest, picking up the odd pieces for a closer look and exchanging friendly words as well as exclamations of admiration with the stall keeper. Ryoma could not help but marvel at how much she had learned when he heard her refuse with firm politeness in response to one who attempted to lure her into a purchase of a hairpin she had stared at for a particularly long time. It was in a shape of a blooming cherry blossom, with its curvy petals embedded with countless pink crystals radiating a rosy glow. The flower was accompanied by two smaller versions of the blossom sitting on separate branches that extended from the same arm of the tree.

It was elegant yet modest, just the qualities that a Princess should possess.

* * *

As the elderly woman behind the display gradually came to realise that her hopes of a sale were helplessly low, she made a disappointed tutting sound probably meant to stir up a sense of regret from her customer and bustled over to another pair of girls who were showing more interest in a few strands of green stone necklaces.

Saki hated to admit that the woman's efforts were not in vain though, and she risked another longing glance at the hairpin before turning away.

"…Not interested?" A cool voice asked behind her. She bit her lip.

"In case you've forgotten, everything I have was stolen by that bandit a week ago."

"I'm sure if you told her who you are, she would have been more than glad to give you everything in her stall for free."

"Oh yes, perhaps, but then what difference would that make me from the bandit?"

She looked around at the thinning crowd and pointed at the narrow street leading out of the village, which was at that moment stained crimson by the vivid sunset flaring across the sky.

"Let's head back?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

She frowned. "Don't call me that!"

"Then what should I call you? Hair-Too-Long?"

Saki crossed her arms. "My hair is _not _too long! It's called fashion."

"Then what?"

"Just… Saki, will be fine, I think." Her eyes lowered to the ground as a prickling heat began creeping up her neck.

Suddenly, a cluster of young men and women burst out of nowhere and rushed into them, pushing them apart in a flood of giggles and laughter as they raced one another to the dancing grounds. And when Saki finally regained her balance and recovered from her initial alarm, she felt a fiercer sense of panic surge through her chest like a crack of lightning.

He was gone.

Saki felt her throat seize up. She whipped her head around frantically as she stood rooted to the spot, scanning her eyes over the sea of unfamiliar faces and searched desperately for the familiar flash of golden eyes. She heard footsteps behind her and she spun around, his name already halfway through her lips before she stopped short, blinking at a surprised face of a fail elderly man. The man smiled at her kindly and seemed genuinely concerned when she tried to smile stiffly back.

"You don't look well, miss – is there anything I can help you with?"

She shook her head, and felt her panic subside slightly.

"Ah, are you sure?" The man took a step closer, then another, and Saki felt a cold hand clasp her right wrist in an iron grip.

She screamed.

What happened next was so fast that it turned into a blur of movement in front of her eyes as her own scream rang on her eardrums. But the next thing she knew, the man – who was not so elderly once she has had a closer look – was on the floor, cursing aggressively as he held his wrist that was now twisted in an odd angle.

"_Don't touch her_." A frosty voice triggered an electrifying heat down her spine like liquid fire. She did not look around to find the owner of the voice, but instead reached out a trembling hand to the side and felt a strong warm hand close firmly over it.

The hand led her away from the horrid man on the ground and from the gaping crowd that had gathered, until at last they stopped by an old cracked stone fountain well away from the village square.

Then she dissolved into tears as the hand continued to hold hers silently. At long last she wiped away the grime on her face and looked up into the deep amber eyes that had come to be etched in her memory.

"W-Where did you _go_?" She sniffed, feeling a flicker of anger within her now that the fear and embarrassment had faded away. "I turned around one moment and you were gone!"

Ryoma hesitated, then sighed and brought up her hand to place a soft package in it. She gazed down and gasped. For in her hand, carefully cushioned in a pool of silky fabric, was the cherry blossom hairpin.

"I was going to save it for your birthday – but guess it will just have to be early, since I – we – most probably won't be going to the ball anyway," He said, and Saki couldn't tell whether the faint blush on his cheeks were from the lingering rays of sunset or otherwise.

"And I think your hair _is_ too long," He added hastily after a pause, as if to hide his embarrassment but unaware of the fact that the pin would do little in terms of keeping hair back. Not that she noticed, however, as she was still looking back and forth between the hairpin and his face in mute shock.

After a long period of silence, Saki finally managed to speak. And even then it came out as a barely audible whisper.

"Thank you, Ryoma-kun."

He did not reply straight away, but seemed to suddenly take a strong interest in scratching his chin.

"… Did he hurt you?"

"No… but if you hadn't come back, he would've."

He looked slightly offended. "Of course I came back!"

Saki gazed into his face for a long moment; until a questioning look rippled across the normally placid amber pools.

"…And did you come back because I am the Princess?"

He did not even blink when he replied.

"I came back because you are Saki."


	7. Chapter Seven

Saki often found herself touching the cherry blossom hairpiece to settle her unease in the few days that followed. The road was becoming increasingly busy as they neared Estanria, and several times Saki had had to duck down from the window, heart pounding, as a small troop of royal soldiers trotted by, clad in spotless shinning armour and sapphire blue vests embroidered with the Royal crest, with swords clanging proudly at their belts.

The thought of returning to the Palace filled her with dread. It was no surprise she found herself falling in love with the freedom on the road, especially with the companionship of the Seishun members, and of course Ryoma's actions that were becoming harder to distinguish between politeness…and something more.

His patience as he pointed out various sights on their journey, and the small thoughtful gestures that she came to know he had been doing - such as laying a blanket over her while she dozed - made her rely on his quiet presence much more than she had come to realize. His thoughts were still difficult to decipher at times, but there was an awkward tenderness about him that sometimes made her as warm as if she had fallen asleep by a crackling fire after having just gulped down a cup of hot chocolate on a bleak snowy day.

At last they had arrived at the last settlement before stepping into the realm of the Capital City. It was a lively town filled with music in every corner and a feast of vibrant colours that seemed kissed by the sun.

That night Saki noticed that the Seishun Acting Company took on the stage with a distracted air, and it showed in their performance as Momo choked briefly on one of his lines, Fuji paused for a fraction too long before drawing his sword in a battle, and even Ryoma's smile seemed absent as he took on the role of a young charismatic merchant who discovered a mysterious distant Kingdom through a secret stone tunnel on the side of a mountain.

The audience, however, noticed none of this and again cheered so long and loud that Saki's brain was humming long after with the uproar of appreciation. Yet she was not convinced and brought it up with Ryoma in as light a tone as she could manage as they were enjoying their routine stroll through the festival grounds. In answer Ryoma gave her a half-hearted smile and shrugged.

"Perhaps it's just because… we are too used to having a Royal adviser for our shows."

"…Meaning you will miss me?" Saki looked both surprised and pleased.

"Well… yes, and _me _most of all,"

She felt her heart do a massive somersault in her chest as she froze in her tracks, while Ryoma kept walking.

"-because I won't have an excuse to escape Momo's drinking parties anymore," He finished. Saki felt her chest unclench and she almost choked on the large gulp of fresh air she took. To hide the redness that was again blossoming in her cheeks, she reached out and tugged on Ryoma's shirt as she pointed towards the middle of the town square where a small orchestra had been set up, with the lively lilt of fiddles blending in with the gentle thrum of lutes and weaved through with the sweet harmony of a pan flute.

"Why is no one is dancing? They are playing so hard!"

Ryoma glanced at the group and then back at her again, oblivious to her hurry to change the subject.

"I don't think they picked a very ideal spot for dancing, there are far too many people in the middle of the fair."

"Nonsense, I think they just wanted everyone to join in," She smiled as she straightened her back and tugged again on his arm. "…What do you say?"

To her surprise, a grimace flickered across his handsome face as he shook his head.

"I don't like it," He said flatly.

"Oh… but surely you would honour a lady?" She gazed up him with the most innocent smile she could manage.

After a long silence while sizing up his opponent's determination, Ryoma sighed with helpless frustration and ran his hand through his hair before reluctantly allowing himself to be dragged over to the area directly in front of the musicians. Saki felt his shoulder stiffen as she laid her left hand lightly on top of it, and she couldn't help but let out a light giggle at his attempt to hide his discomfort with a stony expression on his face. Nevertheless, she tried to be gentle as she guided him into the steps of a waltz, and she was encouraged greatly when she saw other couples joining in around them not long after. Gradually, she felt her partner relax as the groups of people around them multiplied, concealing them in a thick wall of bodies. Before long she was skipping and clapping enthusiastically in time with the melody that had slowly increased in tempo, and Ryoma was even grinning a little at her obvious enjoyment.

She had no idea how long they danced for, but it felt like only a minute had passed before her throat was screaming for moisture. The vigorous movements in heavy walking boots had left her legs tired and aching, and the heat from the pressing crowd was causing an uncomfortable flush in her cheeks. She gestured quickly to the outside of the crowd and Ryoma nodded, the relief evident on his face. Gently he pulled her closer to him as he led them both out of the growing dancing circle, and she breathed in the refreshing cool air gratefully once they reached the edge.

"Well – I am most indebted to you, dear Sir," She bobbed a quick curtsey, which she soon regretted when Ryoma hesitated and returned it with a most elaborate bow.

"Don't," She said with a frown. "You know I don't want you to."

"I know," He said, his voice quiet and a little sad as a tight smile pulled at the corners of his lips. "…But I have to."

Saki was about to object further when, all of a sudden, a loud high-pitched screech interrupted her. She turned her head in confusion and was about to look for the source of the sound when she caught Ryoma's pale face. Then before she had a chance to ask him whether he was feeling unwell, he took off in a dead run through the equally confused crowd. She shouted after him to wait as she immediately hitched up her skirts to keep up with him, but she quickly lost sight of him in the masses of bodies. Panicked, she continued stumbling in the general direction of where he had disappeared and almost cried out when she tripped over someone's leg and tumbled through the edge of the gathered spectators.

When the stars had cleared slightly from her vision, Saki slowly lifted her eyes.

And this time she did cry out in terror.

For not two meters in front of her was a dragon.

* * *

It was still a baby, but definitely a dragon. Without a doubt.

Saki felt her body paralyze with fear as she sat on the ground, eyes glued to the beautiful but frightening creature pacing back and forth in the steel cage imprisoning her. The large scales coating her body shimmered with a magnificent silvery green luster while her inky black wings fanned out above her, creating a foreboding shadow edged with sharp claws. Despite her obvious youth, she already doubled Ryoma's height as the young man stood in front of the cage with his back to Saki. Out of the corner of her eyes, she also spotted Kikumaru, Fuji, and Momo, who were all standing with their arms stretched to the sides, keeping the crowd from closing in on the hissing animal and Ryoma, who appeared to be staring intently at it, or – can it be – _communicating_ with it in some way. And without turning her head, she had no doubt that the firm hand that was just placed on her shoulder belonged to Oishi.

Then, with utter bewilderment and muted horror, Saki watched along with the rest of the crowd as the young man in front of the cage slowly withdrew a gleaming black object from his pocket, aimed it at the cage, and pulled the trigger without any traces of hesitation.

The heavy padlock keeping the bars together groaned after the shot, but did not yield. Then Ryoma fired another two, three. Saki flinched at the sharp sounds but dared not shift her gaze away. Finally the lock crumpled to the dirt with a clang, and the door swung open.

Still hissing fiercely with flames shooting out of her snapping snout, the dragon kept her reptilian yellow eyes locked on Ryoma's as she steadily crept out of her enclosure. Despite her fear, Saki was struck with awe at the apparent grace with which the creature moved, perfectly balanced even with a swishing long tail and a pair of disproportionately large wings.

Then suddenly, as if received permission from Ryoma to take flight, the beast stretched out its leathery wings and made a great powerful downbeat as it leapt into the air. And the whole crowd seemed to shrink back at the same time as a tremendous blast of wind swept over their heads. Soon the dragon had disappeared into a small dot on the sky, and still the crowd gaped at the scene in stunned silence, some were still curled into a ball on the ground with their arms over their heads, eyes squeezed shut as tight as they would go and praying for dear life.

What's worse, the first person to recover was a Royal Soldier, who had his eyes trained fiercely on Ryoma.

* * *

He heard heavy footsteps behind him, solid boots striking the dry dusty ground in dull cumbersome thuds, and a light jingling and the cold clanking of metal scrapping against metal accompanied them. Ryoma could already guess who was coming long before the Soldier opened his mouth and yelled for him to drop the pistol, which he complied.

After slowing turning around on the man's orders, Ryoma was, however, surprised by the fact that he was a Royal Soldier, and he had to will himself not to glance at the pale girl on the ground.

"Who are you? Are these men with you?" The Soldier snarled, whipping up his own shiny pistol and aimed it at Ryoma's head. He didn't even flinch.

"We are," Fuji said calmly as the rest of the crew slowly gathered around Ryoma, their expressions absent of any touch of humour that Saki was so used to seeing on their faces. "We are merely an Acting Company who felt sorry for that poor frightened creature locked up and on display in a cage."

The tall lanky Soldier guffawed, spittle flew out of his mouth and landed in his bushy moustache as he took a menacing step forward. The group of men immediately tightened around their youngest companion.

"Don't tell me you really expected me to believe that, your action could have caused a lot more damage than you think!" He swept an arm around the hushed crowd, and a few people cowered.

At that moment, another much younger man clad in the same sapphire blue vest broke free from the crowd and pointed at the ground. His voice shook slightly as he addressed the other Soldier.

"Captain… look at the pistol,"

"What are you-" The Captain muttered impatiently as he took a quick glance down at the pistol resting not far in front of his feet, then all the colour drained out of his face. Then slowly it returned as a deep flush of anger in his cheeks as his voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

"What have you done with the Princess?"

Ryoma felt the rest of his teammates freeze. And just for that moment, he wished he was as oblivious as they were. He took a minute to steady his voice as he gathered up all his acting experience and slid a drop of confusion into the coldness of his voice.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Sir."

The Soldier all but shrieked at him as he picked up the pistol and held it out for them to see. The golden crest on its metal surface was as clear as day.

"You better come clean, my lad! Or I swear I will cut you and your friends to pieces with my sword! This pistol is clearly the belonging of the Royal Family and either you stole it from the Palace or…or it was you dirty lot who abducted Her Royal Highness!"

The silence that followed was so absolute that Ryoma could have heard a pin drop anywhere on the festival grounds. But it was not a pin he heard soon after, although he wished it was.

"He most certainly did _not_ steal that pistol, Captain Remis," A smooth voice glided firmly to their ears, followed by a rustle of skirts as the speaker took a brave step forward.

"Because I gave it to him."

The shock and recognition on both the Soldier's faces were immediate as they almost fell over each other to kneel at Saki's feet, with their right fists pressed to their hearts.

"Y-Your Highness! We have searched everywhere for you! His Majesty thought-"

"I know… my father and brother must be worried," She sighed.

"Lord Inui and His Majesty are beside themselves with worry! We must send word immediately to inform them Your Highness is safe."

Saki fell silent for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, but you must let these men go first,"

Comprehension was slow to register on their faces this time.

"…Your Highness?" The Captain questioned, uncertain.

"I will go back to the Palace only if you forget what happened tonight,"

As she turned to face the unmoving group of men, she felt a sharp pang of guilt as she took in their stunned expressions. Kikumaru's jaw almost leveled his knees and Momo's eyes bulged like giant watermelons. Out of the four who didn't already know her identity, Fuji looked most like his normal self. But his clear blue eyes still stared at her in disbelief, eerily unblinking.

Then there was Ryoma.

And she felt her heart break into pieces as their eyes met and he slowly shook his head.

_Don't trade yourself in. Not for us._

She smiled sadly.

_I will have to go back eventually. And I'd much rather do it when it's going to be of benefit to somebody._

"I'm sorry," She whispered to the men. Despite the unexpected events so far that night, she found that she still trusted them - after all, it was she who had lied to them first. And the least she could do was to let them go.

"Sakuno-chan – I-I mean Your Highness – we can explain-"

She glanced at the endearing man who had been more of a Mother than anyone she had met, and gently shook her head. There was no time.

"Come, take me back to my father and brother," She said as she gestured for the soldiers to lead the way. And the two men hastily scrambled up as the Captain ordered his junior to go and organize a carriage, _quickly_.

Then, all of a sudden the forgotten crowd seemed to have found all of their voices at once, and there was an eruption of gasps and shouts as the buzz of excited conversation returned. And just as the Captain turned away to command the crowd to stay back, Saki's heart clenched as she felt, rather than heard, a low voice breathing urgently into her ear.

"Don't lose faith, I will come."


	8. Chapter Eight

Saki was jumpy and distracted the whole trip back towards the Palace. Every moment of the journey she couldn't stop her mind wandering back to the shocked and hurt expressions on the four men's faces, and the dread and worry that burned in those familiar honey-coloured eyes. Furthermore, she felt mentally exhausted from anticipating her reunion with her family, and the physical exhaustion from travelling did not help either.

And the meeting did, in fact, turn out to be almost identical to that which she had rehearsed repeatedly in her mind, down to her father's bushy eyebrows that almost vanished into his crowd as she recounted her encounter with the bandits, his sharp piercing tone as he interrogated her about the group of men she had been travelling with, and his brother's silent but calculating presence as he pushed up his lenses every few minutes and jotted down a few lines on his parchment. She chose to skip the part about the dragon, however, for dragons had a reputation to be cruel and ruthless, and somehow she did not think her father would be very understanding for Ryoma's actions. Not at this stage. Besides, she was not entirely clear on the truth herself.

Finally, after she had told her story to the satisfaction of her father, she was forced to sit through a severe lecture on the dangers of the roads, and the absolute horror and chaos her disappearance had caused around the Palace. She was tempted to retort that it was their job to ensure the roads were safe to travel on and that no one took notice of her for about three weeks before she escaped anyway, but decided that it was probably best to hold her tongue.

By the time she was finally given leave from her father's study, she felt as if her ears had been covered with calluses and that she was once again loosing confidence in her own judgment. But she clutched onto the surge of courage that Ryoma had given her along with his parting words.

She must fight for herself, and he will come. Just like he always has.

The few days following her return to the Palace was filled with a whirlwind of activity as she was pushed around the dressing rooms while the seamstresses frantically worked on last minute adjustments to her ball gown. She barely had time to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea before she was required to fly downstairs again and plaster on a trained gracious smile as she greeted the streams of guests already gracing the castle with their presence.

In comparison to the vast countryside, the castle dripping with all its grandeurs and luxurious ornaments felt unbearably claustrophobic, especially since she already knew it down to the last crack on the marble floors. Sometimes during a rare blissful moment when she could be excused from the suffocating ribbons and horribly rigid tea parties with neighbouring nobility, she would collapse heavily on her soft cushioned couch and allow her eyes to drift longingly past the pristine glass doors leading out to the balcony from her huge sitting room, and to the sweeping view of the majestic Palace Gardens below. The sprouts of satiny green leaves bobbing on the tree tops, sheened with the last rays of the warm spring sun, reminded her of the sweet drops of dew that sparkled on the leaves of a daffodil blossom Fuji had picked for her. And the merry songs of the robins drew her mind back to Kikumaru's cheerful whistling outside the wagon as he strolled along the side of the wagon, updating her on the latest village gossip that he had heard while eavesdropping during a drink at the local inn.

She could feel the loneliness crushing her despite the castle full of bustling people. And still he did not come.

It wasn't until the night before her birthday, and she was seriously reconsidering packing her satchel again to flee the castle, when she heard a soft but distinctive chink on the glass of her balcony door. Jumping up from her bed, she tip toed to the door and peeped through a small crack in the thick curtain of pale gold velvet. Immediately, she saw a handful of tiny pebbles scattered all over the smooth marble of the balcony, and the shiny stones looked only too familiar. Suppressing a laugh, she pushed open the door as quietly as she could and whispered into the cool night breeze.

"I hope the Head Gardener didn't see you stealing his new rainbow pebbles."

"I'm sure he has more urgent matters to worry about at the moment than a few missing pebbles," An amused voiced said as a shadow flipped over the railing and landed lightly on the balcony.

It was difficult to make out his features in the dark, but Saki felt as if she could see the cocky smirk fleeting across his lips and the sharp golden eyes trained on herself, a thin scrawny girl clad in a skimpy nightgown with a long mane of chocolatey brown hair cascading down her back in a tangled mess.

"…Ryoma-kun, you are late." Saki was so overwhelmed with the flood of relief, worry, and kaleidoscope of other emotions that she did not even care that her voice did not come out as an authoritative accusation as she had hoped, but instead as a teary whimper.

"We… it's a long story, sorry." Ryoma sighed and took a step forward, she could make out his brightly glowing eyes now, they were blazing with such intensity that she could have sworn if she had held a piece of parchment before her, they would scorch a hole in the centre within seconds. "But first… I think I need to explain what happened that night."

She nodded slowly and waited for him to continue.

"I'm afraid we haven't been entirely honest with you either – we are not actors, well not professional ones anyway," He licked bit his lip. "We are dragon whisperers."

Saki had to suppress a sudden surge of alarm in her chest and did her best to keep her expression placid.

"Dragon… whisperers?"

He nodded. "We travel around the Kingdom and find dragons that are mostly wild, but also some that had been captured by humans like that night, and train them so that they can keep to themselves and not pose as a threat to humans."

"So you use the acting title as a decoy?"

"Something like that."

"But…how long have you been doing this for? Are there others like you?"

"Probably about two years, and yes there are many others like us – unfortunately dragons seem to have taken a strong interest in humans lately – especially of their gold… but I believe your father may not have chosen to tell you about that."

She fell silent for a while, processing the new knowledge cautiously.

"So…. What happened to the dragon I saw?"

"That's the part I'm going to discuss with you – we have formulated a plan with her,"

Saki's eyes widened. "You mean – you can _communicate _with dragons?"

He smiled. "Of course, how else do we train them? They are more humane than you think."

Holding out a tiny shiny object in his hand, Ryoma explained with a glow of pride in his voice, "This is a Dragon Whistle, it is pitched in an area of sound that human ears don't perceive but dragons do – and that is how we talk."

Saki reached out a trembling hand and picked it up. The whistle was smooth and flat with a slight upward curl at the end. Its cold silver body glimmered softly in the moonlight as if it was coated with magic. And at that moment, she would have easily believed that without a moment's hesitation.

"So if I blow it now, will- will she come?"

His mouth twitched as he shook his head. "We have a special code – she will simply be very confused if someone else tried to blow into it."

"Oh," Saki frowned. "…And you expect me to communicate with her in your plan? What's the plan for anyway? If you wanted to perform at the ball I can always make a special announcement for you – not that you had really come to Estanria for that now, I suppose?"

Ryoma nodded, pleased that she was finally understanding.

"No – the plan is not to let the nobilities know of the local gossip in rural townships, although it does have a little to do with acting," He put out his hand again as Saki dropped the whistle back onto his palm; it jingled lightly against the thin metal chain to which it had been fastened. "The plan is to free you, Saki."

She had thought she could not have been more surprised that night, but it seemed like she was wrong.

"Free… me? With a dragon?" She said with difficulty, her voice felt thick in her throat.

"…Do you know what a dragon loves beyond all else?"

Puzzled with the sudden change in subject, Saki's frown deepened.

"Uh…gold? Jewellery?"

Ryoma's smile widened as he shook his head to both answers, there was a bright glint in his eyes.

"You will need to know this tomorrow night, so listen carefully."

He leaned forward slightly, and Saki subconsciously did the same.

"It's bubbles."

* * *

There were certainly plenty of bubbles at the ball.

Saki felt slightly giddy with nerves as she willed herself not to twist around a piece of the rich fabric of the skirt in her hands as she was waiting to be announced into the Grand Ballroom. The gown chosen for her that night was breath taking and even finer and more delicate than anything she had ever owned. It was of a lustrous pink silk that resembled the colour of fresh rosebuds touched with the first rays of the spring sun, with countless tiny white cherry blossoms embroidered randomly across the skirt with a single sparkle of diamond dotting the centre of each flower like a splash of blinking stars. The sleeves and hem was traced faintly with silver embroidery and the dress had a low neckline with a cream silk trim that was wide and luxurious, and she remembered blushing as she fingered it and imagined what kind of jewelry she could wear to fill up the vulnerable patch of pale skin it will expose. As it turned out, she chose a pearl necklace with a single pink diamond as a centerpiece. And with her insistence, her maid had pinned the cherry blossom hairpiece in place over her silky auburn hair that had been twisted into an elegant coiffure.

She looked up at the silver gilt arch that led into the ballroom. The tall candles within were brightly lit, and she could hear a soft hum of music and murmurs of mindless chatter. Taking a deep breath, she nodded to the courtier.

"_La__dies and Gentleman, may I present Her Royal Highness, Princess Saki of Istell!_"

The ballroom temperature spiked as the buzz of conversation ceased and a thousand faces turned toward Saki. Blood pounding in her ears, she gathered up the full silk skirt as she slowly made her way down the steps with as much elegance as she could master in the slippery satin slippers. A murmur of appreciation rippled through the crowd as Saki finally stepped onto the marble floor; the sea of gowns began to shuffle aside. Shifting uncomfortably under the hundreds of pairs of eyes burning into her skin, she smiled stiffly as she made her way across the room to the dais, where her father, clad in a rich deep violet robe, was already waiting for her on his throne along with her brother.

She sank into a curtsey at her father's feet and felt like she could almost drown in the pool of silk that bellowed up around her. She saw her father smile and nod at her, and she stood up tentatively to her smaller throne, although a lot more modest than her father's it was still plush and upholstered in rich ocean-blue velvet that shimmered with a silvery sheen.

"You look beautiful, my dear daughter," Her father said to her in a low voice as he waved a hand to resume the music.

"Thank you, Father," She whispered.

"Well, I hope you will enjoy yourself tonight – they have all come to congratulate you on your birthday, after all."

She nodded weakly, not mentioning the fact that all the bright colours and shrill laughter floating up from the crowds were already making her nauseous.

The first half of the night passed slowly in snippets of small talk as she met the guests that came up to the dais to express their good wishes for the upcoming year. She could feel sweat soaking through her petticoat as the unwavering gaze of her brother constantly burned into the back of her scalp. Therefore she actually felt relieved when young men began requesting her company on the dance floor. But even then her brother felt inclined to murmur his analysis of each man's personality and eligibility for marriage in her ear before she could give a straightforward answer. How could she tell her brother that she did not care the slightest about the probability of a man spending fortunes on his wife after marriage? Or the risk that a man would have for picking unnecessary fights with merchants?

She heaved a small sigh as she excused herself from a young Duke after the orchestra had ended a piece before he could ask her for a second dance. The swirls of lace around her and the arrogant air of nobility were slowly choking her like tightening fingers around her throat. As she passed the trickling fountain in the centre of the ballroom, she caught a tangy whiff that made her stop and stare at the pale foamy liquid tumbling down the elaborate curves and folds of the marble structure.

Bubbles.

"I thought you had ordered for this to be arranged, but obviously not?"

She tensed, startled by the voice that had suddenly appeared so close behind her.

"Stop doing that! You are going to make me have a heart attack someday," She grumbled as she wheeled around, trying to appear indifferent as if she was speaking to yet another young noble man complimenting on the ballroom decorations. But she soon failed as her mouth fell open at the sight of the young man in front of her.

Ryoma's normally tousled hair had been smoothed down and the silky strands were touched with a golden hue from the glowing crystal chandelier. Draped over his shoulders was a midnight-blue cloak that softened his lines of rippling muscle and set off his deep honey-coloured eyes. Furthermore, his flawless skin was radiant as if burnished in bronze.

Although she had seen him dressed as a dashing Prince for the village plays, this time he had brought it to a different level; one that was fitting for blending in with the elaborately dressed guests at a _real _Royal ball. Saki felt her heart skip a beat as he grinned slightly at her stupefied expression. He did a low bow and she felt a cool hand close around hers followed by a light brush of lips. Yet before she could blush, she felt the grip around hers tighten, and she lifted her eyes just in time to see a soldier march up to the dais and kneel on the hard marble floor. The soldier's face was hidden, yet the wild mane of red hair was unmistakable.

It was time for the biggest performance of all.

"Remember, I will be right behind you."

She felt Ryoma looking intently at her, and when she met his gaze she was warmed by the concern and question glimmering from within. Her fear must be almost palpable. She closed her eyes for a moment to steady her thoughts, then nodded and finally opened them again.

"I am ready."

* * *

A/N: Hello all of my beautiful and gorgeous readers! First of all thank you SO much for all your support for this story! I've had lots of lovely reviews that made me smile and reread over and over again, and it's simply amazing to know that you are enjoying the story so far :) Please do keep letting my know what you think and even possible guesses for the story development (even if they don't happen in this particular story they always serve as such good inspirations for my future stores! XD) I hope you will continue to enjoy this story and those RyoSaku moments we all love. Love you all and a big thank you once again for your ongoing support!


	9. Chapter Nine

When the King sprang up from his throne and stalked briskly out of the ballroom towards the entrance of the castle, leaving a roomful of confused and alarmed guests, Saki wasted no time to follow suit. Her ashen-faced brother and an entourage of armoured soldiers were close at her heels as they flew across the courtyard and up a long flight of stairs onto the parapet walk that allowed an uninterrupted view of the city directly outside the Palace.

Saki heard almost everyone around her draw in a sharp breath as they laid eyes on the chaos in front of them, and she also felt a sharp stab of horror.

The first thing she saw was fire. Angry scorching flames licked at the walls of the timber houses and mercilessly engulfed shops that lined the roads fanning out from the castle. Giant clouds of black smoke roared and rose quickly from all directions, and people were screaming and crying in panic as they stumbled out of the collapsing buildings.

But what most people's eyes were trained on was not the fires, for in the middle of the raging turmoil was a dragon.

As they watched in stunned silence, the dragon reared back her head and bellowed a long streak of flames into the sky. Saki felt the soldiers behind her recoil in fear, and she felt like doing the same. Except she must remember to play her part on stage, and this was one performance she must do perfectly – regardless of the fact that it was her first.

"Your Majesty – the fire – we can't control it!" A burly soldier raced up from the steps and huffed heavily as he reported to his king.

The King glanced at the dragon and began bellowing orders at the crouching soldier.

"Tell most of the men to focus on controlling the fires and Captain Howell and his men to capture the dragon - I want it alive, NOW!"

As the poor soldier scampered away, Saki saw the bright glow of alarm in her father's eyes and knew immediately that it was a cue for her line.

"Let me deal with the dragon, Father," She said calmly.

A hush fell over the crowd as everyone turned to stare at her.

"…What did you say?" The King's eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"I said let me go to the dragon, Father, I know how to stop her." She felt a trembling edge creeping back into her voice, and she took a fistful of her dress in her hands again and gripped it tight.

"Don't be ridiculous, Saki, what would you know about them? You've never-"

"Just let me go, Father! We are wasting valuable time!" She cried, and felt equally shocked as her father at her sudden outburst.

"…All right," The King said cautiously, "Why don't you tell Captain Howell who will be coming shortly what exactly you are going to do, so he can protect you if it gets out of hand-"

"Let her go, Father." A low voice said from beside the King, and both him and Saki turned to look at the towering young Prince with possibly more shock than they've had that evening.

"Let Saki go – I think she may surprise us all. Won't you, Little Sister?"

Saki did not know whether it was a chill of dread or a spark of excitement that raced down her spine. But she smiled at her brother as she nodded, and took off running down the steps before anyone else could stop her.

The heavy silk of her ball gown tripped her several times as she flew across the drawbridge. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she gathered up a great bundle of fabric into her arms, tied it into a knot around her waist, and continued stumbling past the blazing flames and charred remains of wood towards the looming form of the dragon.

She recognized the silvery green scales that gleamed like polished mirrors in the flickering lights, reflecting the blinding spits of orange sparks and wavering shadows that darted and disappeared like a couple of cheeky children playing hide and seek. The leathery wings were magnificent as they stretched out in two massive black arcs, and the sharp teeth that protruded from her snout were creamy white and each at least as long as her forearm.

The luminous tigerish eyes with its narrow black slit followed Saki suspiciously as she inched closer.

"Here, here, aren't you a good girl-" Saki felt slightly ridiculous as she cooed to the towering beast like she would to a small kitten, but the dragon's huge eyes continued to stare at her, unblinking, as she reached five meters in front of her. And then – all of a sudden – as if an invisible line had been crossed, the dragon gave a ferocious roar and Saki froze in her path. Luckily no flames came shooting out of the dragon's mouth as she clawed at the ground wearily.

With still a good distance between her and the dragon, Saki frowned and glanced quickly behind her, half-expecting the lean form of Ryoma to suddenly melt out of the shadows again like he always seemed to do. But there was nothing except a tunnel of shrieking fires and bellowing black smoke. She could just make out the spots of faces peering above the edge of the stone wall, and she swallowed as panic rose up in her chest.

_What now, Ryoma-kun?_ She thought tearfully as the beast paced in front of her, looking down at her every so often and letting out a low deafening rumble that she took for a growl of warning.

He was meant to control her with the whistle so she could pour a pouch of bubbles into her mouth, which she had been trained to be a signal to take flight.

This is so that it would appear as if Saki had chased away the dragon, which would hopefully convince her father and brother that she was not useless for her people and should be let out to made use of her skills, also this may assist her in gaining as much favour from the people in the kingdom as possible so that it would no longer be beneficial for the King's name to keep his daughter locked up in a castle.

But of course, all of that would be in vain if she could not get close enough to the dragon to give her the damn bubbles.

And then, an idea glimmered in her mind.

Saki took a deep breath and hastily unknotted her skirt, and she saw the dragon's huge eyes brighten as the heavy material fell back around her legs with a soft whoosh, and she caught sight of the winking diamonds sewn all over the smooth fabric.

The silence that followed was broken only by the crackle of flames and the puffs of hot air that hissed from the dragon's flaring nostrils. Whereas Saki suspected she herself might have stopped breathing all together.

"Yes, come closer…" She murmured, keeping her eyes on the intelligent tawny eyes.

Then everything happened at once.

She was much quicker than Saki had anticipated. The moment the dragon surged forward and opened her jaw; Saki thought it was all over. She barely had time to gasp before managing to dive out of the way. She heard the large body of the dragon crash into the ground, throwing up a massive cloud of brown dust. She sprang up as quick as she could but was severely hindered by the layers of silk and petticoats. Cursing with frustration, she fumbled frantically for the leather pouch sewn securely to the inside of her sleeve and ripped it out. The sharp smell of alcohol wafted out from the loosened pouch just as the dragon discovered her target had vanished and let out a hiss of anger. Gripping the soft bag with trembling hands, Saki could feel the sweat in her palm soaking into the rough leather.

If she was going to be eaten, she would rather the dragon at least obeyed her last command and devoured her somewhere where her family and people could not see her tragic end. She gritted her teeth and urged herself to aim the pouch for the dragon's mouth again, but this was difficult since the creature was opening and shutting her jaw excitedly at the sight of Saki's jewel-encrusted dress.

Suddenly, she understood what she must do.

Praying with all her heart that her second bright idea was going to turn out better than her first, she tore out a single diamond form her dress and tied it to the pouch of bubbles with a piece of fabric also taken from her dress. The stone sparkled brightly against the rough material like the sun on a mid-summer's day.

But her moment of distraction proved to be unwise.

For by the time she felt the ground shake under her feet, it was too late.

She could already smell the dragon's hot rotten breath when she looked up into the long snout hissing with steam above her head, and she felt the beginning of a scream rising up her throat. And the scream may have never had time to come out had a powerful force not pulled her back from the looming white teeth dripping with warm sticky saliva. She stumbled and fell to the ground, her bare hands smudging with black soot and crumbling ashes. And as she looked back up, she caught a flash of silver, followed by a sudden, absolute, stillness.

His face was taut with effort as he blew into the Dragon Whistle, and the creature seemed to be battling with the commands as she stood stock-still, jaw frozen in an open position and teeth exposed, but with her eyes blinking madly like a broken cupboard door.

"Where… is… it?"

Saki started at his strained voice, slurred around the mouthpiece of the whistle, and scrambled up. And suddenly she realised with dismay that the forgotten leather pouch was still clutched in her fist. With a gasp of effort, she hurled the pouch into the gaping jaw of the creature. And as the teeth snapped shout, Ryoma grunted as he fell back into her and they tumbled together to the ground.

For a moment nothing happened, but then Saki heard a piercing screech that shattered the night sky, followed by a strong turbulence of air that rushed around them as the monstrous creature pushed herself off from the ground. She let out a small cry of alarm as the earth shuddered underneath her with the impact, but the reassuring arm holding her to the ground, protecting her, sheltering her, made her feel as safe as she could ever be.

An eerie silence followed after the ground had finally stopped vibrating. Flakes of crumbling ashes snowed down from the sky as the sweltering air pressed in around them from the glowing embers.

Saki was numb all over as she slowly lifted her head, her hair now a tangled mess as loose auburn strands tumbled around her face, occluding her vision on top of the smoke and dust drifting in the air and lost souls. Her ears were buzzing and sounds were muffled as if someone had clapped their hands over them and refused to let go. She could not feel her left arm, which was pinned under a pile of smoldering planks that had somehow shifted from elsewhere with the whirlwind of air.

But she was alive.

Blinking, she struggled to twist her head to the side to check whether Ryoma was safe. For an instant she was seized by terror when her eyes landed on the pair of tightly clenched eyes on his pale face, but then his eyelids fluttered open and she almost went limp with relief.

"…How did I do?" She whispered.

"…I wouldn't call for an encore, that's for sure."

Then he leaned in and kissed her.

And she knew she had done well enough.


End file.
